If you write in a journal or bullet journal, you may have experienced text from one side of the page showing through faintly on the other. This is called ghosting, and it's something many journaling enthusiasts encounter sooner or later.
Ghosting can be annoying, especially if you want neat and tidy pages in your journal. At the same time, it's also completely normal and depends on several things like paper type, pen and how much ink is used. Fortunately, there are several ways to reduce it.
What is ghosting?
Ghosting means that you can see the shadow of text or drawings through the paper. The ink hasn't seeped through the page, but the paper is thin enough that you can still make it out.
Ghosting is often confused with bleed-through, but the two things are not the same. With bleed-through, the ink actually penetrates the paper and becomes visible on the reverse side.
A third concept one sometimes encounters is feathering. It describes when the ink spreads into the paper, making the lines look a bit “feathery.”.
Why does ghosting happen?
Ghosting almost always occurs due to the interaction between paper and pen. Paper can be thin or thick, and different pens give off different amounts of ink. When the paper is thin enough, you can see the shadow of what has been written on the other side.
In practice, there are three main factors that come into play:
Paper thickness (GSM)
What type of pen do you use
How much ink the pen dispenses
If you want to read more about paper thickness, you can also read our guide to GSM stands for grams per square metre..
Choose paper with a higher GSM
One of the most effective ways to reduce ghosting is to choose a notebook with thicker paper.
Paper weighing around 90 to 120 gsm works well for most people who use fineliners and gel pens in their bullet journal. Many bullet journal users choose this weight specifically because it offers a good balance between writing comfort and minimal ghosting. If you work creatively with colours, brush pens or layers, thicker paper may be an advantage.
Choose the right type of pen
The paper is only one part of the equation. The pen you use has at least as much influence on how much ghosting you experience. Not all pens behave the same way on paper.
Fineliner and gel pens often work well in journals as they don't lay down too much ink. Brush pens can vary a bit more, depending on how much pressure you apply and what colour the ink is.
Alcohol-based markers, on the other hand, are made for marker paper and will almost always cause bleed-through in regular notebooks.
Write with a light touch
Something many don't consider is that the way you write can also affect the outcome. If you press very hard with the pen, the paper can become more saturated with ink.
By writing with a lighter touch, you can often reduce both ghosting and the risk of bleed-through. This is particularly true with pens that release a lot of ink.
Carry out a pen test in your journal
A good way to get to know your notebook better is to do a little pen test at the back of the book. Here you can test different pens and markers to see how they behave on the paper.
On a dedicated page, you can for example:
write with different fineliners
test gel pens in different colours
Light strokes with brush pens
see how much ghosting or bleed-through occurs
When you test your pens in this way, you quickly get a feel for which ones work best in your particular journal. Many people choose to use the last page or pages of the notebook for this purpose.
When ghosting can't be avoided
Even with good paper and the right pen, a little ghosting can still occur. Instead of trying to avoid it entirely, many journaling enthusiasts choose to work with it creatively.
Some simply choose to accept ghosting and work with it instead. This is particularly common in bullet journals, where pages often contain many layers of text, decorations, and small elements.
For example, one can:
decorate the back of the page
use stickers or washi tape
write on both sides with the same layout
This way, ghosting will be less visible in the final post.
Frequently asked questions about ghosting
Ghosting is one of the most common questions among people starting with journaling or bullet journaling.
Er ghosting normalt i journals?
Yes. Many notebooks will have a bit of ghosting, especially if the paper is around 80 to 100 GSM.
How can you avoid ghosting altogether?
Ghosting can rarely be completely eliminated, as it depends on the paper, pen, and ink flow. However, thicker paper, water-based pens, and a light hand can significantly reduce it.
Is ghosting a sign of poor quality?
Not necessarily. Even high-quality notebooks can have a bit of ghosting, depending on the paper and the pen used.
